


Tension

by ruruka_ninomiya



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gay fluff from a weird prompt, M/M, first p5 and shukita fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 11:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11230035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruruka_ninomiya/pseuds/ruruka_ninomiya
Summary: When Yusuke comes over to the cafe Akira finds himself asking a ridiculous question to break the tension.





	Tension

**Author's Note:**

> First Shukita and P5 fic!! And my first on AO3 in general ^^

Awkward tension in a situation sounds like it’d be a bad thing. And usually it is, quite uncomfortable too. But it can lead to some good things once in awhile.

That morning had been normal, the same as the few prior thanks to their summer vacation. He’d woken to Morgana half laying on his face again and took a shower after lovingly shoving him to the floor. If he couldn’t stay up that cat wasn’t allowed to sleep in. After his shower he’d just put on casual stay in clothes, since none of his friends had made any plans with him today so far. Sojiro could use some help downstairs anyway, and since his attempts at teaching Futaba to make coffee were akin to teaching a dog to meow, he was the only option.

The second he was downstairs there was a coffee cup placed on the counter, obviously for him since the place was still empty save for the two Sakura’s on opposite sides of the counter. Carefully he picked up the warm mug and blew on the drink, knowing it was still hot from being freshly brewed upon his somewhat loud awakening. As he took a sip he heard the soft patter of Morgana’s footsteps coming down the stairs behind him, though he was obviously still grumpy about the earlier events. Further proved by how he laid on the counter next to Futaba’s laptop rather than anywhere near him.

Sojiro said nothing about having an animal on the counter, though you could see his irritation in knowing he’d have to clean it when the cat moved. Even still he reached out to scratch behind his ears, calming his crabby mood.

“You helping out today kid?” he asked without looking up, his gaze focused on the now peaceful cat. A short nod is all he gave in response, easily accepted by the barista. Sometimes Akira didn’t feel like talking much, he’s never been all that talkative really and both his parents and Sojiro understand. His friends heard him the most, when he was comfortable and relaxed and when important Phantom Thief meetings occurred.

“I’m going to hang out with Ryuji later, he found some sick movies for us to watch. I’ll bring Kitty too.” Futaba’s words interrupted her usual manic typing, her gaze moving over to the still standing male beside her. Morgana’s response to her invitation was a low purr, it seemed he’d likely be mad at Akira until he made it up to him. Maybe he could pick up some sushi later, a grumpy cat was no good for the team.

He nods at her too, lowering his mug to give a smile that shows just how tired he still is. His phone buzzes in his pocket but he opts not to check it yet, wanting to finish his coffee as soon as possible to be more awake. It’d be bad to fall asleep while dealing with hot coffee or curry, he’d burned his hands in his first cooking attempts enough as is.

“When you’re done you can wash the dishes I haven’t finished. And walk Futaba to the train station to meet up with Sakamoto later.” Finally withdrawing from the cat, the man turned back to working on his cooking, likely breakfast for his daughter and kind of son. He was lucky Sojiro could cook so well, his mother was awful at it and his father liked to make rather odd dishes.  
He nodded once more as he set his now empty cup down on the counter. The latter instructions were merely a formality, he wouldn’t let Futaba try to go on her own whether he was told not to or not. She’d made good progress with being around people but she wasn’t ready to go it alone yet, even if the station wasn’t that far away. With all that settled, he slipped his apron over his head and got to work on the dishes.

By the time he’d finished cleaning every cup and plate in the sink the curry was finished, a well timed break for the morning. There was little conversation, what with Sojiro starting up another batch for customers, Akira’s general silence and Futaba’s need to eat the most food in the least time. Still the atmosphere was pleasant, similar to home.

He’d barely scraped the last bit of food off his plate when Futaba had jumped out of her seat, nearly slamming her laptop shut. “Akira, Key Item! Ryuji is waiting at the station! We gotta gooo!” Her phone is shoved into her coat pocket and she takes the cat in her arms immediately, waking him from his morning nap. Sojiro says not a word as I remove my apron and follow her out the door.

Once the princess is delivered to her knight for the day Akira spends the next couple hours near alone in near silence. Sojiro is still never sure when to start conversations with him, but he leaves the TV on to fill the void where conversation usually goes. After some time of no customers, the thief begins to consider trying to make curry himself today. He was far from the master’s level but it was pretty good if he could say so himself, his friends agreed too.

Just as he was about to grab the ingredients his phone buzzed again, he’d forgotten about the earlier message. Pausing to properly check this time, he adjusted his glasses and looked at his messages. Yusuke. ‘It is dreadfully hot in my dorm’ ‘Leblanc is somewhat cool usually yes? I shall make my way over there, see you soon’. The first sound he’d made all day was a chuckle, followed by a smile. The artist was a bit odd at times, and often came over with little announcement, but his presence was warm and comfortable. He looked forward to him showing up.

By the time Yusuke arrived, Akira had finished cleaning and given up on cooking for now. His apron had been hung up moments ago and the artist entered as he came around the counter.

“Good afternoon Akira, you’ve been working all this time? That explains the last of response to my messages.” The blue haired boy smiled, as if admiring how hard his friend works everyday. To no surprise he glanced at the Sayuri as he walked inside, like always. Akira wondered if he was truly okay with such an important piece of him being here of all places. Though he’d stopped asking after the first time, since he did seem happy about it.

“Oh, Kitagawa’s here. You two can go upstairs, I don’t need kids hanging around chasing off my already dying business.” Sojiro’s annoyed but kind words almost made Akira laugh again. An excuse to give him a break without sounding too nice. He had a reputation after all.  
A tilt of his head in the direction of the stairs was directed at Yusuke before he turned to walk up them himself. A steady pace of footsteps matched his from behind, a habit gained from traversing Palaces.

Not a word is spoken by either of them as they enter the room. Akira’s gaze is fixated on his friend as he looks around, searching for any detail that’s different from his last visit. Once he’s satisfied he takes his usual spot on the couch. The raven haired thief stands nearby rather than take a seat. His bed feels too far and sitting next to him on the small couch might be unpleasant, or even more awkward.

Normally when his friends came over he had time to get himself ready to talk, and think up conversation topics they’d both enjoy. Or find something interesting to show them, perhaps a place to take them even. However the painter’s arrival was so sudden he hardly had any time to prepare. He always thought carefully when he spoke, but the pressure to say something before the tension got too uncomfortable made it hard to focus.

Two minutes had passed and he decided to just open his mouth and say the first thing that came out. Had to get the ball rolling somehow right? Sliding his hands in his pockets he looked Yusuke and spoke with as much of a straight face as he could manage, “Maybe we should kiss to break the tension.”

It was a joke, he was sure it was. Yet as the other’s face flushed in surprise he knew he wouldn’t mind really kissing him. He hasn’t really thought that about his friends before. Kissing their hands playfully and such was always fine but actually kissing them hadn’t crossed his mind. Not until he was with Yusuke in this moment.

“S-Surely, you wouldn’t enjoy that.” He spoke after a moment, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible but he trembled. Flustered and nervous, way to go Akira you probably upset him. Better to just tell him he didn’t mean it, that’s the best way to clear the situation right? Even with that thought, he couldn’t help the tugging curiosity at the painter’s words.

“Why not?” Had he taken a step closer to the couch? He must have without realizing it, or shifted his stance so it appeared he had, as Yusuke seemed to move back a bit. Now he has to tell him doesn’t he? It’d be awful of him to just keep upsetting him. If only his mouth would agree with his mind.

“Well I’ve never done such a thing with anyone before, I’d be no good at it.” He’s a bit more mellow now after the sudden surprise, he’s sitting up straight again but not quite meeting Akira’s gaze. Ever so slightly he tilts his head, wondering why that would matter so much. He wasn’t getting the full story. He’ll tell him it was a joke in a minute, one more minute.

“I wouldn’t either.” The statement is said so casually but Yusuke’s eyes widen a bit upon hearing it. Is it that surprising for his confidant skilled leader to admit to being bad at something? Ryuji would likely agree that yes, it is. It was amusing to imagine.

“But surely you’ve been kissed before? Someone such as you,” he pauses, waving his hand to search for words while the other raises an eyebrow, “Charming, handsome, intelligent, kind should have somebody who likes you a greal deal. It’s hard to believe nobody has had any interest in being with you so far.”

He almost laughs, letting an amused smirk spread across his face. It may be hard to believe but it’s quite true. Sure he’d gotten a few love notes before, nothing big. He’d only once had one girlfriend, and that lasted for a week and earned him a black eye from her ex, now current, boyfriend. His father had suggested egging her house while his mother spoke with the school and got her suspended. But after this past year or so since then, he doesn’t really consider her his first girlfriend or relationship, just one of many mistakes. So he doesn’t feel it’s a lie when he answers Yusuke.

“Never, not once.” He’s smiling again, that same smile that both his friends and family love to see, a fact which warms his heart. No longer does he have thoughts of telling him it was a joke, no longer does it feel like a joke. While talking he moved right beside the couch, practically sitting on it’s arm. He isn’t thinking about how close they are or worrying about Yusuke being upset when he hasn’t given any indication of it. He’s simply, smiling.

“Then, if we kissed… It’d make me quite special wouldn’t it?” The artist’s voice had gotten softer, he seemed to be considering this seriously. His stomach was in knots at his own anxiety. If he said no what would happen? If he said yes what would he do? It was so hard to see either outcome clearly. He likely would have spent several more minutes panicking had Yusuke not moved closer to him, their faces a mere couple inches apart.

“You don’t mind?” His voice is nearly a whisper as he speaks again. No matter what Yusuke had to be comfortable with this, it couldn’t be just because Akira had stupidly suggested it. Even with his worry, he found himself sliding his glasses off his face.

“Not at all, as long as you don’t of course. I apologize if I do anything wrong, this is quite different from painting.” The smile he gives Akira, so soft and gentle, makes him realize this was never a joke. An accident sure but, he’d meant it the entire time. His hands made their way to Yusuke’s, soft but callused from constant painting and fighting. Warm and comfortable to hold. Physical contact had never been something he was overly big on until recently, nor had he initiated it until now. But with Yusuke it just felt, right. Calm, peaceful, comfortable. All the things the artist himself embodied.

They both moved slowly, carefully as if afraid they’d break each other from the kiss. It was somewhat endearing, how nervous he seemed to be. Akira, of course, was nervous too however he didn’t let it show in his expression or movement.

It was a short kiss, nothing long or over passionate like in movies. Just a few seconds of clumsy light kissing. It was a bit strange, it was new, but it was enjoyable. When they pulled apart, still keeping close to each other, Akira broke into a fit of giggles. He smiled brightly and kissed the artist’s nose.

“What’s so amusing?” There was a hint of worry in his voice, especially as he watched Akira remove his hands from his grasp. Only for him to wrap them around his neck with another small laugh.

“Our kiss. But in a good way.” His answer made Yusuke relax a bit, and return his smile with his own gentle expression of joy.

“I’m glad it wasn’t awful.” Slowly he places a kiss on his friend’s cheek, clearly still getting used to affection despite what he typically receives from Ann. The two are close in an almost sibling kind of way, similar to Akira and Futaba. The hacker also had her fair share of physical contact with Yusuke however it was a bit less affectionate and a bit more, tackling him and climbing on his shoulders. A click of his friend’s-- boyfriend’s?- tongue catches his attention.

“Hm?” He tilts his head, keeping his focus on the artist which is evidently the only thing he can see clearly right now without his glasses.

“I have a sudden craving for coffee. Your lips had that taste.” It nearly made him laugh again, in endearment of course. He adored his friends, but at times Yusuke was so delightful to be around and be alone with.

“Would you rather go get a cup of coffee now or…” He trailed off, slowly releasing his grasp on the taller male only to be pulled even closer again.

“I believe I’d like try it this way, once more.” The once flustered artist now has enough confidence for the both of them, not that Akira minds. Nor does he mind the way their lips slowly connect once more, in a slower less clumsy fashion than before. They’ll get this kissing thing down surely, with a bit of practice.

For some, tension in the room can be absolutely awful, the worst thing for when you’re around others. But for Akira, when he’s with Yusuke, he can’t say it’s a bad thing anymore if it leads to events like these. Perhaps he should be awkward around him more often. 


End file.
